Have been having fun at Art School this week with an old Malaysian spinning top - found in a East Coast junk shop some 25 years ago. The Malaysians call their top spinning sport , Gasing - the top I have is made of hardwood and lead and weighs some 5 kg.
The whole sport is full of unusual traditions - I particularly like the fact that they often fumigate their tops with Styrax Benzoin - an extract from bark - to endow them with supernatural powers - in competition the winning top can spin for up to 2 hours...
Styrax benzoin can also be added to boiling water to produce fumes which when inhaled have a soothing effect on the lungs - sounds like we need to order some to help us with our long distance runs .
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